Recommendation from Leo, 2 kyu player (April, 2017).

After having worked with different Go teachers and different formats (online lessons, offline lessons, lectures, problems, game commentaries, training games) in the past I can say that for me being taught by Kaz seems to be the best way to really improve the way I play in a systematic and lasting way.

Kaz’s latest teaching method: My teaching is very original and different from any other Go teachers. I’ve created this because a normal teaching did not make my students improve as fast as I wanted. So I started creating my own teaching methods and tried them over the years.

Now I’ve finally created the best teaching method. I can confidently say that because every time I teach new students, most of them say “This lesson is great! I’m learning a lot.”

This is my best teaching method:

My student sends me his / her 10 most recent games in .sgf format.

I examine his / her 10 games. Then, I can find out many of his / her bad habits, big weaknesses, and incorrect moves. (Before the arrival of the internet, I had to play at least 10 games to find out my students’ bad habits, big weaknesses, and incorrect moves. But now I can teach the most important points from the 1st lesson. I’ve been doing this for many years. As far as I know, this is my original teaching method. )

Based on analyzing the games, I will send him / her my original tests. (This is also my original teaching method. This is extremely useful. Reasons are written below.)

He / she tries the tests, writes down answers, and sends them back to me.

The answers show not only his / her incorrect moves, but also misunderstandings and incorrect thinking, which I could not see when I examined his / her 10 games. I also discover new weaknesses and bad habits in the answers.

He / she will receive my answers to the tests and my problems to learn correct moves and basic moves, shapes, tesuji, etc..

Here are the reasons that giving tests is very helpful.

Each student has different problems, so I have to find out about that for each students. Giving tests will help me see them.

Analyzing 10 games gives me a lot of information about a student’s Go, but that does not show how well a student understands important basic things. (If a student lacks some important basics, giving an advanced problems will not be helpful, but harmful because that’s like trying to build a 10-story building without the foundations on the 1st floor.) When I give my original tests, I can find out about how well a student understands important basics. Then I know what kind of things I should teach.

There is a vicious cycle in learning Go. I’ve found that many adults study a lesson only for a short time, and then start studying a new lesson for a short time, and then start studying a new lesson again. After 3 or 5 years, they have not mastered anything. I’ve made my tests to avoid that vicious cycle. When my students keep taking my lessons, I give tests to make sure how well or poorly my students understand my materials. This will help them learn that they have to review my problems more. Learning one tesuji or good shape takes at least a year. So they have to keep studying. My lessons will help you with that.

Many adults study other people’s mistakes instead of their own mistakes. They are not aware of their own common mistakes, and they keep making the same mistakes for many years. I’ve observed that the longer they keep making the same mistakes, the harder it it to fix them because the bad habits ingrain in them. My tests and problems will help them aware of their own common mistakes. If they study them repeatedly, they will learn from their own mistakes and master basics. That will make them quantum leap in the near future.

My tests will help me evaluate my students’ true ranking. Sometimes a student who claims to be a 1 dan turns out be a 5 kyu. I’ve learned that examining 10 games may not show that. When I give him / her my tests and check the answers, then I can find out how well or poorly he / she understands. So I can send appropriate problems, so he or she can learn the basics at his / her level.

WARNING: I can give you commentaries on your games, too:Some people ask me to have commentaries on their games extensively. In that case, I’ll comment on two games as one lesson. This is fine, too. In this case I may not send any problems.

I know a lot of know-how on how to make appropriate tests and problems, to correct their mistakes, and to help them build strong basic foundations. Consequently, I can confidently say that I’m an expert on that. Naturally, almost all my students like this teaching. More importantly, many of them have been showing a clear improvement.

Lesson Fee:

The 1st lesson fee is $44 / €39. (This is only for new students. I’ll send 35 problems, plus 15 additional problems as a special service.)

WARNING: You don’t have to worry about the transaction fee because I’ll pay the fee.

WARNING: How to apply this lesson is stated at the end. Please click here to jump!

Are my lessons expensive? : Some people tell me that my lesson fees are expensive. Please think of it this way.

Compared to buying Go books: If you buy a Go book, it costs $15, $20, or $30. If you buy two books, you will pay $30, $40, or $60. But it’s not easy to find Go books at your level. I know many Go players who have bought 20 or 30 Go books, which can cost somewhere between $300 or $900. Many of them haven’t finished reading all of them. Quite a few people say that they haven’t even mastered one Go book. That’s probably because the books are way too hard for them. It’s like you buy a lottery, and you draw a blank.

More importantly, none of the Go books are written based on analyzing your games and making problems to correct your weaknesses and bad habits.

If you take my lessons, you will always get a winning ticket.

I will be sure to send tests and problems based on analyzing your games and making problems to correct your weaknesses and bad habits. You will be able to use them for many years. In fact I’m a unique Go teacher who does all of these.

So which is better? You keep buying many Go books until you find a book at your own level. Or you take my lessons and receive tests and problems, which you will be able to study for many years.

It took me many years to acquire these skills: Also I must say that analyzing 10 games and making problems are not easy even for experienced Go teachers.

When I make 50 problems, it takes many hours. It’s not uncommon that I make only $4 or $5 an hour in one lesson.

If you still think that my lessons are expensive, you might check “Why Unique“.

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Special Lesson A: Kaz Internet Go Camp

This is the cheapest lesson. But this is also a crash course. So you have to study hard. If you want to improve fast, this is recommended.

Special service 1: This is a 11-lesson package.

Special service 2: You will receive 35 problems in each lesson.

Special service 3: You will receive following texts.

Free opening texts: 1. How to counter the Chinese opening, 2. How to counter the mini Chinese opening, 3. How to counter the Kobayashi opening, 4. How to counter 5-4 point joseki, 5. How to counter 5-3 point joseki, and there are more. ( If you have already received these, you will not receive them again.)

Lesson Fee for Special Lesson A:

The fee of the 11-lesson-package is $430 / €380. One lesson is equivalent to about $39.09 / €34.54.

WARNING: You don’t have to worry about the transaction fee because I’ll pay it.

Refund Policy: No refund, please.

WARNING: On October 1st, I’m going to raise the lesson fees.

Time Frame: 6 months.

The Special Lesson A is very much like a Go summer camp. Many Go Associations offer a Go summer camp. The difference between a Go summer camp and “Kaz internet Go camp” is that I will help you learn the most important basics for 6 months. I will do that because of the following reasons:

What’s the benefit of taking the Kaz internet Go camp?

Answer: I’ve found that when people go to a Go summer camp, they study hard for a week, then go home and do not review them. So after a couple of weeks or so, many adults do not remember what they have studied. But if you take the Kaz internet Go camp, and if you practice the related problems (and new problems) repeatedly for 6 months, then you could remember it for six months, a year, or much longer after my lessons. More importantly, you will only learn things which you can immediately use in your games. I only give tests and problems that came up in your games and tests and problems that will come up in real games most frequently.

This is how I run the Kaz internet Go camp:

When you complete the payment, I’ll analyze your 10 games. (If you have already taken my lessons, you don’t need this.)

Based on them, I’ll send you tests in every lesson every 3 days.

You will send me all your answers.

I’ll make problems which are most appropriate for you.

Every 3 days, I’ll send you some of the test results along with appropriate problems.

You will finish 6 lessons in a month or so.

Then you should review them repeatedly for a month or so.

After that, I’ll send you more tests, which relate to the previous tests. This will force you to review my previous tests and problems. This means that you have to review my previous lessons repeatedly again.

I’ll also send you new tests based on your weaknesses.

I’ll continue to do so every month. If you keep studying my problems for about 6 months, you will very likely master some or many of them and be able to use them in your games.

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Special Lesson B:

Special service 1: This is a 10-lesson.

Special service 2: You will receive 50 problems in each lesson.

Special service 3: You will receive following texts.

Free opening texts: 1. How to counter the Chinese opening, 2. How to counter the mini Chinese opening, 3. How to counter the Kobayashi opening, 4. How to counter 5-4 point joseki, 5. How to counter 5-3 point joseki, and there are more. ( If you want to know a particular opening, please ask me. I have all the counter moves against any opening. Some openings don’t have a name, so I cannot spell them out here.)

Special service 4:

Other free texts: You can choose six texts in total from the following:

“Fight like Rocky Balboa! Fight like Rocky Graziano! Fight like Raging Bull!” You will learn about fight.

Learn about “the 0nion Tesuji” (which makes an opponent’s eyes water just like chopping onion).

“Attachment effect, butterfly effect”. If you learn the proper attachment and how to make the most of it, your moves could affect the entire board just like the butterfly effect.

The “Killing-stones-syndrome”. If you’re addicted to killing an opponent’s stones, you need this.

“Big pig snout”. You will learn about one of the most commonly shown life-and-death problems.

“He is a peeping Tom?! Peep, peep, PEEP!” You will learn correct peeps and incorrect peeps. You will find that so many people, kyu and dan players alike, play incorrect peeps.

There’s a Go proverb: “The ponnuki is worth 30 points.” But many people misunderstand what is ponnuki, and what is not. You can learn these.

“Endgame techniques (If you learn these endgame techniques, you will be able to turn around a 25-point losing game. WARNING: I’m still making these. I’ll try to finish them soon. )

Special service 5: The best way to study 1

You will receive information regarding what you should study. You should study… You should NOT study… If you know this, you will become strong more quickly than your rivals. I decided to write this because there is a lot of misunderstanding of what you should study in the Go world. One example of this is http://kazsensei.seesaa.net/article/419725905.html

Special service 6: The best way to study 2

You will receive information regarding the best way to study. A university professor recently collected data from 10 million Japanese students learning English words. There appear to be certain limits to learning; that is, studying harder does not necessarily mean that you will learn more. In fact, the research shows that studying for shorter periods can actually produce very good results. I will show you how to study, so that you can apply this method to your Go study. I’ve been trying it myself while learning Chinese, and I’m happy to say it seems to be working.

A bit skeptical? According to my facebook friends who speak several languages, learning Go and learning languages share many similarities. So this information should help Go players.

(FYI, I currently don’t use facebook, so you won’t find me there.)

Special service 7: The time management

You will receive information about the best way to make the most of your time when you play a game.

Special service 8: The anger management

Quite a few people who make a mistake during a game, tend to get angry or upset and make more mistakes. If you’re one of them, then take my lessons and receive information about how to manage youyr anger.

Lesson Fee for Special Lesson B:

The fee for the 10-lesson-package is $510 / €480. (One lesson is equivalent to about $51.00 / €48.00.)

WARNING: You don’t have to worry about the transaction fee because I’ll pay the fee.

WARNING: How to apply this lesson is stated at the end. Please click here to jump!

Time Frame: There is no time limit. This means that you can take a long break during those lessons.

Refund Policy: No refund, please.

WARNING: I’m open to any suggestions of my teaching. If there is a bright idea, I may incorporate that. I did incorporate bright ideas and made my teaching more effective.

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How to apply for Kaz’s Go Lessons!

Please go to Paypal and look for my email address: cickazu@gmail.com

Please complete the payment to Kazunari Furuyama, (in Japan). (WARNING: Paypal insists on a currency conversion. But please do not convert that. Please pay in dollar or Euro, not Yen. It’s because if you convert that, I cannot tell the amount of the payment.)

Please email me to let me know that you have sent the payment. Here are examples of a message.

“This is Harry Callahan (your full name, please). I just finished the payment. I’ll take take Special Lesson A; Kaz Internet Go Camp. Go ahead, make my day!”

Please send me your most recent 10 games in sgf files.

After this, I’ll send you tests.

WARNING : Please include the transaction fee in the lesson fees above. If you mistakenly pay more, I’ll send you extra problems to compensate for that.

WARNING: Please do not send the payment as “a family” on paypal. Please use the payment as business transactions.

WARNING : If you send fewer than 10 games, that’s fine, too. A win or a lose does not matter. Even games are preferable, but handicap games are fine, too.

WARNING: Some people worry about sending me bad games. I believe that all your games are there to help you improve. So you shouldn’t worry about good or bad games. Besides, often when people say “Oh, I played terrible games”, but it turns out to be good games. I’ve seen that many times. In addition, it’s better for me to see your worst games because I’d like to see your biggest weakness as soon as possible. So I will be able to help you improve at maximum speed.

To some old students: If you applied for my lessons a while ago, your deals still remain; I have a copy of them. I’ll keep my promises. So please don’t worry about the changes above.